Cloud Seedability Study with a Dual-Model System

In this research,a novel dual-model system,one-dimensional stratiform cold cloud model(1DSC) coupled to Weather Research and Forecast(WRF) model(WRF-1DSC for short),was employed to investigate the effects of cloud seeding by silver iodide(AgI) on rain enhancement.Driven by changing environmental conditions extracted from the WRF model,WRF-1DSC could be used to assess the cloud seeding effects quantitatively.The employment of WRF-1DSC,in place of a one-dimensional two-moment cloud seeding model applied to a three-dimensional mesoscale cloud-resolving model,was found to result in massive reduction of computational resources.Numerical experiments with WRF-1DSC were conducted for a real stratiform precipitation event observed on 4-5 July 2004,in Northeast China.A good agreement between the observed and modeled cloud system ensured the ability of WRF-1DSC to simulate the observed precipitation process efficiently.Sensitivity tests were performed with different seeding times,locations,and amounts.Experimental results showed that the optimum seeding effect(defined as the percentage of rain enhancement or rain enhancement rate) could be achieved through proper seeding at locations of maximum cloud water content when the updraft was strong.The optimum seeding effect was found to increase by 5.61% when the cloud was seeded at 5.5 km above ground level around 2300 UTC 4 July 2004,with the maximum AgI mixing ratio(X s) equaling 15 ng kg 1.On the other hand,for an overseeded cloud,a significant reduction occurred in the accumulated precipitation(-12.42%) as X s reached 100 ng kg 1.This study demonstrates the potential of WRF1DSC in determining the optimal AgI seeding strategy in practical operations of precipitation enhancement.     

High-resolution Simulation of an Extreme Heavy Rainfall Event in Shanghai Using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model: Sensitivity to Planetary Boundary Layer Parameterization

In this study,an extreme rainfall event that occurred on 25 May 2018 over Shanghai and its nearby area was simulated using the Weather Research and Forecasting model,with a focus on the effects of planetary boundary layer(PBL)physics using double nesting with large grid ratios(15:1 and 9:1).The sensitivity of the precipitation forecast was examined through three PBL schemes:the Yonsei University Scheme,the Mellor?Yamada?Nakanishi Niino Level 2.5(MYNN)scheme,and the Mellor?Yamada?Janjic scheme.The PBL effects on boundary layer structures,convective thermodynamic and large-scale forcings were investigated to explain the model differences in extreme rainfall distributions and hourly variations.The results indicated that in single coarser grids(15 km and 9 km),the extreme rainfall amount was largely underestimated with all three PBL schemes.In the inner 1-km grid,the underestimated intensity was improved;however,using the MYNN scheme for the 1-km grid domain with explicitly resolved convection and nested within the 9-km grid using the Kain?Fritsch cumulus scheme,significant advantages over the other PBL schemes are revealed in predicting the extreme rainfall distribution and the time of primary peak rainfall.MYNN,with the weakest vertical mixing,produced the shallowest and most humid inversion layer with the lowest lifting condensation level,but stronger wind fields and upward motions from the top of the boundary layer to upper levels.These factors all facilitate the development of deep convection and moisture transport for intense precipitation,and result in its most realistic prediction of the primary rainfall peak.     

Effect of Length Scale Tuning of Background Error in WRF-3DVAR System on Assimilation of High-Resolution Surface Data for Heavy Rainfall Simulation

We investigated the impact of tuning the length scale of the background error covariance in the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF) three-dimensional variational assimilation(3DVAR) system.In particular,we studied the effect of this parameter on the assimilation of high-resolution surface data for heavy rainfall forecasts associated with mesoscale convective systems over the Korean Peninsula.In the assimilation of high-resolution surface data,the National Meteorological Center method tended to exaggerate the length scale that determined the shape and extent to which observed information spreads out.In this study,we used the difference between observation and background data to tune the length scale in the assimilation of high-resolution surface data.The resulting assimilation clearly showed that the analysis with the tuned length scale was able to reproduce the small-scale features of the ideal field effectively.We also investigated the effect of a double-iteration method with two different length scales,representing large and small-length scales in the WRF-3DVAR.This method reflected the large and small-scale features of observed information in the model fields.The quantitative accuracy of the precipitation forecast using this double iteration with two different length scales for heavy rainfall was high;results were in good agreement with observations in terms of the maximum rainfall amount and equitable threat scores.The improved forecast in the experiment resulted from the development of well-identified mesoscale convective systems by intensified low-level winds and their consequent convergence near the rainfall area.     

High-Resolution Hindcast of Record-Breaking Rainfall in Beijing and Impact of Topography

In this paper,a hindcast study of the record-breaking rainfall event occurring in Beijing on 21July 2012,is conducted by using the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF)model forced by National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)Global Forecasting System(GFS)outputs,paired with an investigation of the impact of topography in this region.The results indicate that WRF can reasonably predict the salient features of orographic precipitation;the 24-h rainfall amount and spatial distribution compare reasonably well with the observations.The hindcast simulation also indicates that rainfall events can be predicted approximately 36 h ahead.When the topography is removed,the spatial distribution of rainfall changes remarkably,suggesting the importance of the topography in determining rainfall structure.These results also indicate that prediction of such city-scale heavy rainfall events would benefit from a high-resolution prediction system.     

Differences between Convective and Stratiform Precipitation Budgets in a Torrential Rainfall Event

Differences in rainfall budgets between convective and stratiform regions of a torrential rainfall event were investigated using high-resolution simulation data produced by the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF) model. The convective and stratiform regions were reasonably separated by the radar-based convective–stratiform partitioning method, and the threedimensional WRF-based precipitation equation combining water vapor and hydrometeor budgets was further used to analyze the rainfall budgets. The results showed that the magnitude of precipitation budget processes in the convective region was one order larger than that in the stratiform region. In convective/stratiform updraft regions, precipitation was mainly from the contribution of moisture-related processes, with a small negative contribution from cloud-related processes. In convective/stratiform downdraft regions, cloud-related processes played positive roles in precipitation, while moisture-related processes made a negative contribution. Moisture flux convergence played a dominant role in the moisture-related processes in convective or stratiform updraft regions, which was closely related to large-scale dynamics. Differences in cloud-related processes between convective and stratiform regions were more complex compared with those in moisture-related processes.Both liquid-and ice-phase microphysical processes were strong in convective/stratiform updraft regions, and ice-phase processes were dominant in convective/stratiform downdraft regions. There was strong net latent heating within almost the whole troposphere in updraft regions, especially in the convective updraft region, while the net latent heating(cooling) mainly existed above(below) the zero-layer in convective/stratiform downdraft regions.     

A Two-Moment Bulk Microphysics Coupled with a Mesoscale Model WRF: Model Description and First Results

The Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CAMS) two-moment bulk microphysics scheme was adopted in this study to investigate the representation of cloud and precipitation processes under different environmental conditions.The scheme predicts the mixing ratio of water vapor as well as the mixing ratios and number concentrations of cloud droplets,rain,ice,snow,and graupel.A new parameterization approach to simulate heterogeneous droplet activation was developed in this scheme.Furthermore,the improved CAMS scheme was coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF v3.1),which made it possible to simulate the microphysics of clouds and precipitation as well as the cloud-aerosol interactions in selected atmospheric condition.The rain event occurring on 27-28 December 2008 in eastern China was simulated using the CAMS scheme and three sophisticated microphysics schemes in the WRF model.Results showed that the simulated 36-h accumulated precipitations were generally agreed with observation data,and the CAMS scheme performed well in the southern area of the nested domain.The radar reflectivity,the averaged precipitation intensity,and the hydrometeor mixing ratios simulated by the CAMS scheme were generally consistent with those from other microphysics schemes.The hydrometeor number concentrations simulated by the CAMS scheme were also close to the experiential values in stratus clouds.The model results suggest that the CAMS scheme performs reasonably well in describing the microphysics of clouds and precipitation in the mesoscale WRF model.     

Dynamic downscaling of summer precipitation prediction over China in 1998 using WRF and CCSM4

To study the prediction of the anomalous precipitation and general circulation for the summer(June–July–August) of1998, the Community Climate System Model Version 4.0(CCSM4.0) integrations were used to drive version 3.2 of the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF3.2) regional climate model to produce hindcasts at 60 km resolution. The results showed that the WRF model produced improved summer precipitation simulations. The systematic errors in the east of the Tibetan Plateau were removed, while in North China and Northeast China the systematic errors still existed. The improvements in summer precipitation interannual increment prediction also had regional characteristics. There was a marked improvement over the south of the Yangtze River basin and South China, but no obvious improvement over North China and Northeast China. Further analysis showed that the improvement was present not only for the seasonal mean precipitation, but also on a sub-seasonal timescale. The two occurrences of the Mei-yu rainfall agreed better with the observations in the WRF model,but were not resolved in CCSM. These improvements resulted from both the higher resolution and better topography of the WRF model.     

EVALUATION OF CONVECTIVE-STRATIFORM RAINFALL SEPARATION SCHEMES BY PRECIPITATION AND CLOUD STATISTICS

In this study,two convective-stratiform rainfall partitioning schemes are evaluated using precipitation and cloud statistics for different rainfall types categorized by applying surface rainfall equation on grid-scale data from a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulation.One scheme is based on surface rainfall intensity whereas the other is based on cloud content information.The model is largely forced by the large-scale vertical velocity derived from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment(TOGA COARE).The results reveal that over 40% of convective rainfall is associated with water vapor divergence,which primarily comes from the rainfall type with local atmospheric drying and water hydrometeor loss/convergence,caused by precipitation and evaporation of rain.More than 40% of stratiform rainfall is related to water vapor convergence,which largely comes from the rainfall type with local atmospheric moistening and hydrometeor loss/convergence attributable to water clouds through precipitation and the evaporation of rain and ice clouds through the conversion from ice hydrometeor to water hydrometeor.This implies that the separation methods based on surface rainfall and cloud content may not clearly separate convective and stratiform rainfall.     

The Effects of Model Resolution on the Simulation of Regional Climate Extreme Events

The fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University/NCAR Mesoscale Model Version 3 (MM5V3) was used to simulate extreme heavy rainfall events over the Yangtze River Basin in June 1999. The effects of model's horizontal and vertical resolution on the extreme climate events were investigated in detail. In principle, the model was able to characterize the spatial distribution of monthly heavy precipitation. The results indicated that the increase in horizontal resolution could reduce the bias of the modeled heavy rain and reasonably simulate the change of daily precipitation during the study period. A finer vertical resolution led to obviously improve rainfall simulations with smaller biases, and hence, better resolve heavy rainfall events. The increase in both horizontal and vertical resolution could produce better predictions of heavy rainfall events. Not only the rainfall simulation altered in the cases of different horizontal and vertical grid spacing, but also other meteorological fields demonstrated diverse variations in terms of resolution change in the model. An evident improvement in the simulated sea level pressure resulted from the increase of horizontal resolution, but the simulation was insensitive to vertical grid spacing. The increase in vertical resolution could enhance the simulation of surface temperature as well as atmospheric circulation at low levels, while the simulation of circulation at middle and upper levels were found to be much less dependent on changing resolution. In addition, cumulus parameterization schemes showed high sensitivity to horizontal resolution. Different convective schemes exhibited large discrepancies in rainfall simulations with regards to changing resolution. The percentage of convective precipitation in the Grell scheme increased with increasing horizontal resolution. In contrast, the Kain-Fritsch scheme caused a reduced ratio of convective precipitation to total rainfall accumulations corresponding to increasing horizontal resolution.     

Some Physical Aspects of Summer Monsoon Clouds-Comparison of Cloud Model Results with Observations

The physical characteristics of the summer monsoon clouds were investigated. The results of a simple cloud model were compared with the aircraft cloud physical observations collected during the summer monsoon seasons of 1973, 1974, 1976 and 1981 in the Deccan Plateau region.The model predicted profiles of cloud liquid water content (LWC) are in agreement with the observed profiles. There is reasonable agreement between the model predicted cloud vertical thickness and observed rainfall.The observed cloud-drop spectra were found to be narrow and the concentration of drops with diameter > 20um is either low or absent on many occasions. In such clouds the rain-formation cannot take place under natural atmospheric conditions due to the absence of collision-coalescence process. A comparison of the model predicted and observed rainfall suggested that the precipitation efficiency in cumulus clouds of small vertical thickness could be as low as 20 per cent.The clouds forming in the Deccan Plateau region during t     

暴雨模拟中多普勒雷达径向速度变分同化的应用

针对2008年6月广东地区的一次强降雨过程,利用WRF中尺度数值模式及其三维变分同化系统(WRF-3DVAR),进行了多普勒雷达径向速度变分同化对暴雨过程模拟效果影响研究。结果表明:WRF-3DVAR能够有效地同化多普勒雷达径向速度,同化后的主要影响在于改进了初始动力场,使得初始场包含有更详尽的中尺度特征信息,进而显著提高模式对广东局地暴雨过程的模拟效果。在高分辨率中尺度数值模式中有效地利用多普勒天气雷达资料,是提高中尺度降雨预报的关键。     

雷达反射率三维拼图观测资料在北方区域数值模式预报系统中的同化应用研究

以业务应用为目标,开展雷达反射率三维拼图观测资料在北方区域数值预报系统中的同化应用研究。采用雷达反射率间接同化方法同化北方雷达反射率拼图观测资料,重点关注其对降水、湿度、温度及风的预报能力影响。首先,基于2017年8月雷达拼图观测资料批量同化和对比试验,对雷达拼图资料同化应用效果进行定量评估,结果表明雷达拼图资料同化虽然加大了地面风场预报误差,但在降水预报和湿度、温度预报等方面有明显的改善作用。其次,选择在业务中预报难度较大的强降水个例开展分析研究,分析表明:（1）同化雷达拼图观测资料有效提高了模式降水预报性能,临近降水发生的循环起报时次预报效果更好;（2）对于短时间多次强降水过程发生的预报,循环同化雷达拼图资料可及时弥补模式中由于前次降水导致的水汽、能量等消耗及热/动力条件削弱,持续支持降水系统发展。最后,通过考察雷达反射率的不同同化方案,发现同化反演水凝物或者估计水汽均能改善模式降水预报性能,但是同化估计水汽对降水预报性能的改善更为明显,联合使用两方案能同时对水凝物分布、热力场等进行调整,可提高模式降水预报性能。      

Assessment of the WRF model in reproducing a flash-flood heavy rainfall event over Korea

This study examines the ability of the cloud-resolving weather research and forecasting (WRF) model to reproduce the convective cells associated with the flash-flooding heavy rainfall near Seoul, South Korea, on 12 July 2006. A triply nested WRF model with the highest resolution of 3-km horizontal grid spacing was integrated with conventional analysis data. The WRF model simulated the initiation of isolated thunderstorms, and the formation of a convective band, cloud cluster, and squall line at nearly the right time. The corresponding precipitation simulation was also reasonably reproduced in its distribution, although the amount was underestimated. A sensitivity experiment that excludes the orography over the peninsula revealed that orographic forcing over the peninsula is responsible for about 20% increase in precipitation over the heavy rainfall region. It was identified that in addition to the up-lifting local orographic forcing to the west of the mountain range in South Korea, anticyclonic circulation due to the presence of the Gaema Heights in North Korea contribute to the confinement of convective activities in the heavy rainfall region.     

基于卫星降水和WRF预报降水的“6.18”门头沟泥石流事件的回报检验研究

2017年6月18日北京门头沟地区突发泥石流,造成6人伤亡。短时强降水是这起事件的主要诱发因素,但常规气象观测并没有很好地观测到此次降水过程,可见降水数据的准确性对于滑坡泥石流的实时预警及预报至关重要。近年来,卫星遥感估算降水发展迅速,WRF（Weather Research and Forecasting Model）模式关于降水的预报技巧也逐渐提高。本文以自动站降水资料为参考,首先利用定性方法和泰勒图、TS（Threat Score）评分等定量的方法比较了CMORPH（CPC MORPHing technique）、GPM（Global Precipitation Measurement）和PERSIANN-CCS（Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks-Cloud Classification System）三种卫星降水资料以及不同起报时间的WRF预报降水对此次降水过程的表现能力,然后利用降水数据驱动滑坡泥石流统计预报模型,对此次事件进行了回报,分析不同降水数据在模型中的实际应用效果,最终为滑坡泥石流实时预警和预报系统的构建提供参考。结果表明,三种卫星降水资料基本上能反映出此次降水过程东北—西南向的带状空间分布形态,其中,CMORPH与自动站资料的空间相关性最好,命中率也最高,但对降水量有一定的高估,GPM对平均降水量的时间变化有较好的反映,体现了卫星降水在观测较少地区的良好利用价值,PERSIANN-CCS的表现则相对差些。WRF模式能预报出此次降水的带状空间分布特征,但降水中心的位置与实际有所偏差;此外,预报的最大降水量的峰值出现时间比实际上晚。由于此次降水的强局地性,只有空间分辨率均匀且质量相对较好的CMORPH卫星降水驱动模型可以回报出此次事件,而自动站点资料由于空间分布不均,则没有回报出此次事件,这表明了卫星降水在滑坡泥石流实时预警系统的构建中具有一定的优势。WRF模式降水驱动模型可以提前做出预警,虽然预报的事件发生时间与实际相比偏晚3~5 h,但WRF可以较好地预报72 h内的降水,因而可以延长灾害的可预见期。WRF模式预报降水的时间和空间精度都需要进一步提高,但是仍具有很好的参考意义。     

多普勒雷达径向速度同化在淮河暴雨数值模拟中的应用

针对2007年7月淮河流域的一次强降雨过程,利用WRF中尺度数值模式及其三维变分同化系统(WRF-3DVAR),开展了多普勒雷达径向速度的三维变分同化对暴雨过程模拟效果的影响研究。结果表明:WRF-3DVAR能够有效地同化多普勒雷达径向速度资料,同化后使得模式初始场出现了一定的调整,包含更详尽的中尺度特征信息,进而显著改善模式对大暴雨过程前12h降水的模拟效果。在高分辨率中尺度数值模式中有效地利用多普勒天气雷达资料,能较好地提高中尺度降雨预报。     

Extreme precipitation in WRF during the Newcastle East Coast Low of 2007

In the context of regional downscaling, we study the representation of extreme precipitation in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, focusing on a major event that occurred on the 8^th of June 2007 along the coast of eastern Australia (abbreviated “Newy”). This was one of the strongest extra-tropical low-pressure systems off eastern Australia in the last 30 years and was one of several storms comprising a test bed for the WRF ensemble that underpins the regional climate change projections for eastern Australia (New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory Regional Climate Modelling Project, NARCliM). Newy provides an informative case study for examining precipitation extremes as simulated by WRF set up for regional downscaling. Here, simulations from the NARCliM physics ensemble of Newy available at ～10 km grid spacing are used. Extremes and spatio-temporal characteristics are examined using land-based daily and hourly precipitation totals, with a particular focus on hourly accumulations. Of the different physics schemes assessed, the cumulus and the boundary layer schemes cause the largest differences. Although the Betts-Miller-Janjic cumulus scheme produces better rainfall totals over the entire storm, the Kain-Fritsch cumulus scheme promotes higher and more realistic hourly extreme precipitation totals. Analysis indicates the Kain-Fritsch runs are correlated with larger resolved grid-scale vertical moisture fluxes, which are produced through the influence of parameterized convection on the larger-scale circulation and the subsequent convergence and ascent of moisture. Results show that WRF qualitatively reproduces spatial precipitation patterns during the storm, albeit with some errors in timing. This case study indicates that whilst regional climate simulations of an extreme event such as Newy in WRF may be well represented at daily scales irrespective of the physics scheme used, the representation at hourly scales is likely to be physics scheme dependent.     

Effects of Vertical Wind Shear on the Pre-Summer Heavy Rainfall Budget:A Cloud-Resolving Modeling Study

This study investigates the effects of vertical wind shear on the torrential rainfall response to the large-scale forcing using a rainfall separation analysis of a pair of two-dimensional cloud-resolving model sensitivity experiments for a pre-summer heavy rainfall event over southern China from 3-8 June 2008 coupled with National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)/Global Data Assimilation System(GDAS) data.The rainfall partitioning analysis based on the surface rainfall budget indicates that the exclusion of vertical wind shear decreases the contribution to total rainfall from the largest contributor,which is the rainfall associated with local atmospheric drying,water vapor divergence,and hydrometeor loss/convergence,through the reduction of the rainfall area and reduced rainfall during the rainfall event.The removal of vertical wind shear increases the contribution to total rainfall from the rainfall associated with local atmospheric drying,water vapor convergence,and hydrometeor loss/convergence through the expansion of the rainfall area and enhanced rainfall.The elimination of vertical wind shear enhances heavy rainfall and expands its area,whereas it reduces moderate rainfall and its area.     

多普勒天气雷达资料在暴雨数值模拟中的同化应用

基于中尺度数值模式WRF及其三维变分同化系统WRF-3DVAR对2008年6月广西地区的一次强降雨过程,进行了多普勒天气雷达的多普勒径向速度和反射率因子的三维变分同化对于暴雨过程模拟效果影响研究。结果表明：(1）同化柳州、桂林和永州多普勒天气雷达观测资料后,模式对广西东北部地区特大暴雨的模拟效果明显改进;(2）WRF-3DVAR能够有效地同化多普勒天气雷达径向速度和雷达反射率因子,同化后使得模式初始场包含有更详尽的中尺度特征信息;(3）在高分辨率中尺度数值模式中有效地利用多普勒天气雷达资料,改善了分析场中尺度结构的描述,从而减轻了spin-up现象,能较好的提高中尺度降雨预报。